Vacuum steam heating apparatus.



No. 654,948. Patent ed m 31, 1900,

.1. COLLIS. VACUUM STEAM HEATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 14 1899. (No Model.)

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, Steam Heating Apparatus, of which the fol- JOHN COLLIS, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM P. COLLIS, OF

' NEW YORK, N. Y.

VACUUM STEAM HEATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent no. 65

Application filed March 14, 1899.;

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN COLLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and the State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Vacuum lowing is a specification.

In starting a steam-radiator it is always necessary to first remove the air that is contained in the steam pipes and radiator before the steam can enter the radiator and heat the building. Heretofore it has been customary to provide automatically-operating thermostatic valves so arranged as to be normally open, and hence when the steam-pressure was applied to the radiators the force thereof would gradually expel the air. Then when the steam came in contact with the valve the heat would cause the valve to close and thus the escape of steam cutoff. Heating systems have been provided heretofore with means for exhausting the air from the pipes through thermostatic valves to produce a partial vacuum therein to aid theflow of steain'into the system; but in all systemsin which a thermostatic valve is relied upon to cutoff the outflow of steam obviously the steam must engage the valve before it can operate it,and on account of the fact that the water of condensation usually travels with the steam some of this water may pass through the thermostatic valves before they can close. Moreover, with .such devices it has been found'that frequently the water of condensation would be forced ahead of the steam and would of course pass through the thermostatic valves before they were closed by contact with the steam. It is highly objectionable that any water pass through these valves, as the discharge is either into the room being heated or into the pipes designed to carry off the air only. In all thermostatic valves the air-vents are of necessity very small, and hence much time is occupied after the steam is turned on in getting heat to remote parts of the building, and, furthermore,with such systems, and in the event that exhaust-steam is used for heating, the force necessary to expel the air through these slowworking thermostatic valves produces a reac tionary back pressure upon the engine which is highly objectionable.

4,948, dated July 31, 1900. Serial No. 709,024; (No model.)

' Theobject of my invention is to provide an improved system of steam-heat distribution whereby the steam is' placed very rapidly in the most remote parts of the system and the water of condensation is prevented from passing through the radiator vent-valves and the reactionary back pressure upon an engine caused by the forcing of its exhaust-steam into a heating system filled with air is prevented; and, furthermore, to provide a heating system that does not require thatcareful attention and accurate adjustment necessary when thermostatic valves are used.

My invention consists, essentially, in the arrangement and combination of the various devices necessary to the successfuloperation of the vacuum steam-heating system, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a sectional elevationofa building having myimprovedheatingsystem applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows a vertical central sectional view of my improved valve.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I shall first describe the various features of my heating system and afterward the construction of the valve; r

The numeral is used to indicate the steam-supply pipe, and 11 the return. At each of the steam-radiators '12 throughout the entire system I have used one of the Oollis circulating-valves, indicated by the numeral 13 and-fully shown and described in Letters Patent No. 610,873, issued to me September 13, 1898. A pipe 1 1 connects the pipe with the steam-supply pipe 10, and a pipe 15 connects it with the return 11. By this means it is obvious that a circulation of steam through the radiators is always maintained.

In the basement of the building or at some convenient point I have located a vacuumpump 16, and adjacent to the pump is a vacuum-tank 17, having a pipe 18 connecting it with the pump. A vacuum-gagel9 is attached to the tank, and-an air-valve 20 is also provided for purposes hereinafter made clear.

Attached to each radiator is one of my improved vacuu m-valves,hereinafter described,

and a pipe 2lconnects one or more of them.

The pipe-sections 23 and 24 are for the same Obviously, when purposes as I the pipe 22. the pump is operated a more or less complete vacuum will be formed within the tank 17, and this tank will of course draw all the air from the complete heating system until the Then the pump isstopped or run slowly, as required, to main valves at the radiator close.

tain the vacuum to the degree desired: When the steam is turned on, it will of course rapidly flow through the entire'sy'stem, and the water of: condensation cannot pass through the valve into the airdischarge pipes. In use thepumping of air'is started a short time before the heat is desired' and continued until the desired amount of vacu-. 11111 is produced. Then when the steam is turnedon the impact caused by the flow of steam will close every valve immediately, beforethe water of condensation could reach the valves, and when exhaust-steam from an engine is used the putting of the steam will furnish the impact necessary to close the valves, even if the said exhaust is below atmospheric pressure. Inasmuch as the vacuum need-only be maintained withinv theairpipes to the radiators, it is obviously not difficult to do this, and hence the pump need only be run ashort time at full capacity to form the vacuum and then very slowly to maintain same and compensate for leakage.

. The air is pumped out of the system, preferably, only just when the steam is turned on for each day, and then so much of a vacuum is maintained in the pipes leading to the vent-valves as is necessary to hold the valves closed. It is not essential that the partial vacuum be maintained at the same degree in the system after the steam has been turned on.

Assuming that the valves were so constructed as to automatically close when the vacuum=pressure reached a certain predetermined number of inches, it may be seen that the vacuum-gage on the tank-will indicate when all the valves have beenclosed, and if any valve'should remain open the vacuumpressure 'willrapidly diminish, so that-the pumping mayagain be started until asuffi- 'cient pressure is-attained to close every valve in the system. When the steam is turned ofi for the night, the air-valve 20 is opened, and thereupon the air will open the valves 25 and seat 28 therein.

enter'the radiators, thus forcing the water of condensation back through the return steampipes, so that each time the system is started it will be entirely free from water.

The construction of the Vacuum-valves is as follows: The numeral 25 is used to indicate a cylinder having at its base'a connection 26, by which it may be screwed to the radiator to communicate therewith. A short distance below the center of the cylinder 25 is a hori-, zontal diaphragm 27, having a round valve- Apipe 29 leads from the top of the cylindertoconnect with the air-pipe 21,before described. Above and below the diaphragm are the two guides 30 and 31, and

mounted in these guides for vertical movement is a rod 32, having formed on orfixed thereto a valve 33 to engage'the said valveseat. The parts are so arranged thatwhen the vacuum-pressure reaches a certain predetermined-number of inches the valve will be forced up in contact with the valve-seat, and thus the air-vent shut off. As soon as'this vacuum is destroyed the-valve will' 'ofcourse drop by gravity without the aidof a spring.

Having thus described myinvention', what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

1. A steam-heating system, comprising one or more radiators,-pipes forconducting steam to and from the radiators, a vent-valve for each radiator, exhaust-pipes connected with the valves, said valves tending to close when the velocity of the fluid passing therethrough from the radiators exceeds a predetermined rate, and adapted to open upon a rise in pressure in said exhaust-pipes, and exhausting means connected with said exhaust-pipes, wherebythe air may be exhausted from the entire heating system.

. ,2. A steam-heating system, comprising one or more radiators, pipes for conducting steam to and from the radiators, avent-valve for eachradiator, an exhaust-pipe connected witheach valve, said valve tending toclose when the velocity'of the fluid passinggtherethrough from the radiators exceeds'a'predetermined rate, and adapted toopen upon a rise in pressure in said exhaust-pipes, means for admitting air tothe exhaust-pipes,'whereby said valves may be opened, and exhausting means connected with the said exhaustpipes, whereby the airmay be exhausted from the entire heating system.

JOHN GOLLIS.

Witnesses:

F. O. STUART,

.J. RALPH ORWIG. 

